LaLiga: Financially-crippled Barcelona should return to creating superstars instead of buying them, says Jofre Mateu

Over the past decade, FC Barcelona have made a name for themselves as the club to beat, but their fortunes have taken quite a hit in the past year or so, as scandal after scandal has left them teetering on the brink of a serious crisis, both financially and in terms of their identity. However, the future is not all bleak for Barca, and with a bit of sensible management, they can steer their way out of this self-engineered catastrophe, opined former Barcelona and FC Goa midfielder Jofre Mateu in an interaction with Firstpost.com. Speaking about Barcelona’s recent trials and tribulations, the Spaniard said, “The beginning of the season was very tough for Barcelona, with Lionel Messi wanting to leave and then the arrival of a new coach. When you add in the financial problems that have come to light recently, there was a lot of noise surrounding the club, a lot of moving parts in every direction, and I think that cost them two or three months. They only really started doing well in the beginning of this year, in 2021, and since then they’ve renewed their spirit, renewed their energy.” Mateu, who played a combined 141 games for Barcelona, Barcelona B and Barcelona C, expanded on his optimism for their future, saying, “I think they have fresh air in their lungs, and they’re growing every day. Maybe it’s a bit late, because if Barcelona played the way they played at Paris Saint-Germain throughout the season, they would surely have been fighting for all three titles. But the thing is, the future looks better now. Here, the people feel like we’re approaching something new, with Pedri, Ansu Fati and other young players.” While everything on the pitch seems to have improved in the last few weeks for Barcelona, there are still a number of issues off the field that need to be addressed by the newly-appointed president, Joan Laporta. Laporta was recently elected to his second tenure at the helm of the club after winning the election by a landslide, and he now faces an uphill battle to haul Barcelona out of the pit they have dug themselves. “The first thing Joan Laporta needs to address is the financial situation. The club is in a difficult place, and it’s crucial that something be done about it. It’s complicated of course, but he needs to solve it,” said Mateu, adding, “The Messi decision is also important. When it comes to Lionel Messi, there’s a difference between the emotional approach and the practical approach. Everyone wants him to stay, it’s a dream that fans have that he’ll end his career here. But there’s a crisis going on, so how are you going to save money? You have to look to the future as well, you need to have a vision for the long-term.” [caption id=“attachment_9410381” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Joan Laporta recently became Barcelona president for the second time. AP[/caption] That long-term vision should be one where the club once again looks to its youth system for an answer, stressed Mateu, who himself came up through the club’s academy, saying, “I always say, Barcelona’s brand has been built on the backs of the people that work at La Masia. The players they produce are not only young and talented, they also understand the system of play better than anyone you could get from anywhere else. To add to all that, they’re also financially more viable, because you don’t have to pay them huge salaries to bring them into the team. “It’s the biggest pillar, the core of everything that sets Barcelona apart. It’s been Barcelona’s identity all along, and maybe we’re losing it a little now. Of course, you want Erling Haaland in the team, but what is better: pay money for Haaland or create a Haaland? It’s the second option for me.” LaLiga clubs fail to impress in the Champions League Barcelona were only just knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain a few days ago, while Sevilla were unable to get the better of Borussia Dortmund. Atletico Madrid also find themselves in dire straits after losing their ‘home’ leg to England’s Chelsea, while Real Madrid are far from safe after only managing a 1-0 win against Atalanta. In light of these performances, Mateu expressed his concern for LaLiga on the continental stage, saying, “LaLiga has had great success in the Champions League a few years ago, but I feel like a few teams, Real Madrid and Barcelona especially, are a bit stuck in their models. That’s a major reason why LaLiga clubs have not been able to reach those heights in the last couple of seasons. Tactically, teams in England, Germany and other leagues play with real intensity and speed, and in Spain, it’s very possession-based, slow football, which doesn’t make for a good match-up.” When asked who he was backing to win this season of the Champions League, Laporta replied, “it’s not a very simple answer, but if I had to pick one club, I’m betting on Manchester City. They’ve played so well in recent weeks, except for that one loss to Manchester United. If United were still in the Champions League, maybe I would pick them, but looking at the current teams, it has to be City. They can control the game, they can transition into attack very quickly, they’re a dangerous team. They have a lot of good players, who have been playing together for a very long time. The UCL always has surprises though, so you never know, but I doubt that a Spanish side has what it takes this year.” ISL’s vast improvement over the years Mateu also had a chance to speak about the Indian Super League, a competition which he was an integral part of in the early years. After being drafted by Atletico de Kolkata (now ATK) in the inaugural season, Mateu moved to Goa, where he spent another couple of seasons, managing to make a total of 35 appearances in the ISL, scoring seven goals. The Spaniard spoke fondly of his time in the ISL, but admitted that the competition has come a long way since those early years, saying, “I feel like there’s been a huge improvement in quality in the ISL since I was there. If you watch an ISL match now, there’s a massive difference in terms of rhythm, in quality and tactical understanding. [caption id=“attachment_9410361” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Jofre Mateu in action for ATK. AFP[/caption] “Earlier, there were a lot of big names playing and only a few good Indian players. It was good to be a part of, but nowadays, you can play with nine Indians in the team and it will still be a good team playing good football. This is a huge thing for Indian football, and I suppose the idea was always that, wasn’t it? The ISL was made with the intention to improve Indian football, and now I feel like that goal has been achieved to some extent.” Watch UEFA Champions League on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 3 (in Hindi) channels.